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"As always, I truly encourage you guys to get to the beach (or a pool) this summer—don't let body shame keep you from having a good time!" posted Gabi Gregg on her personal-style blog GabiFresh.com. (Courtesy of GabiFresh.com)

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'Fatkini' Blogger: Promoting Self-Confidence or Obesity?

ICTMN Staff

6/10/12

Last month, Gabi Gregg, a plus-size fashionista, proudly posted photos of herself in a self-described "fatkini" on her personal-style blog Gabifresh.

Showing off her size-18 curvaceous body in the modest, black-and-white striped top and bottom, she encouraged other heavy-set women to post pictures of themselves in their two-piece swimsuits as well. Gregg published the photos in a gallery titled "31 Hot Sexy Fat Girls in Skimpy Swimwear" on xoJane.com.

"I know first-hand how inspiring it can be to see people with bodies that look similar to my own feeling confident and happy on the beach in something other than a Hawaiian-print skirted one piece," Gregg wrote on xoJane.

Gregg acknowledged that her swimwear posts tend to generate more traffic on her site that her fully-clothed shots. "I attribute this to the fact that our culture is so obsessed with having a 'beach ready bod,' that the mere idea of someone my size in a swimsuit, let alone a bikini, is shocking to most."

While Gregg's blog is flooded with praise, on the "Today" show recently, host Tamron Hall questioned how Gregg responds to critics who claim she is promoting obesity. "I'm not promoting obesity or a healthy lifestyle," Gregg told Hall. "The truth is we have to live in our body right now, no matter where we are on our journey to health."

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